Tony Soprano | The Sopranos Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Meadow's next boyfriend was Jackie Aprile, Jr. , the son of Tony's old friend Jackie Aprile, Sr. Tony had Tony confronts Jackie Junior. promised Jackie Jr.'s father that he would try to keep his son on the straight path. Tony was initially pleased with the relationship, believing Jackie to be a hard-working pre-med student from a good family. However, since his Uncle Richie's release from prison and subsequent death, Jackie had become more and more involved in the Mafia. Tony realized this when he caught Jackie at strip clubs and a casino. He eventually beat Jackie up to warn him about abusing his daughter's feelings and confiscated a gun from him. Jackie was eventually killed by Vito for his involvement in the robbery at Christopher's and Furio's executive card game, and for shooting a made man, Furio. This drove Meadow to drinking and depression, although they'd broken up shortly before his death. After Jackie's death, Tony accepts Meadow's college friends and gets along well with her fiancé, Finn, before the two separated under unrevealed circumstances.

Tony's feelings toward his son, however, are mixed, especially with worries about his future. From the beginning, Tony had doubts that his son could succeed him as Boss of the Dimeo Crime Family. His fears are confirmed as A.J. consistently demonstrates throughout the series that he lacks his father's dominating persona and cunning. Tony instead tells A.J. numerous times that he is proud that his son is gentle and kind. Tony was especially proud of A.J.'s prowess on the football field, even amid his failing grades in high school, but is frustrated with A.J.'s lack of focus after graduation. After flunking out of Ramapo State, A.J. loafs around the house, parties, and for a time holds a job at Blockbuster, until his father, hoping to keep A.J. away from a life of crime, gets him a job working construction. There, A.J. meets Blanca, and in Tony's opinion, A.J. was doing well until he and Blanca broke up. Tony's worries again amplified around A.J.'s depression, a 'rotten putrid gene' that Tony believes he passed down to his son. Hoping to get A.J.

back on track, Tony rekindles A.J.'s friendship with "the Jasons", sons of two of his associates, and A.J. seems to be doing better. With the help of a therapist and medication, A.J. is finally getting back to college, this time at Rutgers University, to take classes and party with girls as Tony believes every college kid should. This later turns sour after A.J. sees his new friends attack a Somalian student on a bike and he regresses into depression. A.J. tries to drown himself in a swimming pool, but decides he wants to live; he is unable to escape the pool, however. Tony hears his cries for help, and rescues him. After A.J. is released from a mental health ward, Tony and Carmela dissuade him from joining the Army, and convince him instead to become involved in a film bankrolled by Carmine Lupertazzi, Jr. , with the possibility of opening his own club. Interests and hobbies Tony is an avid animal lover and enjoys feeding the ducks which visit his pool. He has a sentimental attachment towards animals, being traumatized by the loss of his childhood dog (as revealed in the episode In Camelot ).

Later, he invests in a racehorse, Pie-O-My , and becomes involved in horse racing through his friend Hesh who owns a stable. When his horse is eventually killed in a fire - possibly set by Ralph Cifaretto - Tony is deeply upset and saddened, arguably more emotional over the loss of the horse than the death of any human character on the show. When informed by Carmela that a black bear has been foraging in his home's backyard while they were separated, during Season 5, he reacts with interest, rather than fear. During his stay in the hospital after his shooting, he can be seen reading a book about dinosaurs. Tony enjoys fishing, as he is seen many times over the course of the show engaging in both freshwater and saltwater angling. His son Anthony Jr. frequently accompanies him on fishing outings and during the second season he presents his son with a gift of a Fenwick rod and a Penn International reel, both extremely high quality products. In the sixth season, while in Florida with Paulie, he rents a sport fishing boat, though he is not shown to have caught anything.

Despite his love of fishing, he is sometimes haunted by visions of Pussy Bonpensiero incarnated in the form of a fish - presumably a reference to the disposal of his body in the ocean. A Big Mouth Billy Bass novelty singing fish, brought into the Bada Bing by Georgie, recalled his nightmare and disturbed him greatly. Tony is also a big sports fan, enjoying baseball, football, basketball, golf, horse racing, played varsity baseball and football in high school. He is a New York Yankees fan, as well as a New York Jets fan. A large portion of his income comes from illegal sports betting as well. Tony is also an amateur yachtsman and has owned two motor yachts over the course of the show - Stugots and Stugots II. The Neapolitan Italian word means "This dick," or in paraphrase "Fuck it." Tony maintains an avid interest in history, particularly World War II. He is often shown watching programs on the History Channel about great leaders such as George Patton, Erwin Rommel and Winston Churchill. He reads The Art of War by Sun Tzu, a work which is quoted by several other characters on the show as well, particularly Paulie Gualtieri.

Tony seems to have a soft spot for classic black and white films, as he is often seem watching them before sleep and regularly commentating on them. Tony listens to classic rock and pop music, particularly of the 1960s and 70s. Over the course of the show he is seen to enjoy Jefferson Airplane, Eric Clapton, The Clash, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, AC/DC, Rush, Eagles, Journey. Extramarital affairs Tony has a penchant for carrying on extramarital affairs. His wife Carmela seems to know about this and usually turns a blind eye, though sometimes the bottled-up tensions explode in domestic arguments - particularly at the end of Season 4, when Tony's affairs drive Carmela to separate from him. He typically has mistresses who he consistently sees for long periods of time, though he also has a number of brief one-night-stands with strippers from the Bada Bing. Tony has a strong preference for women of European, particularly Italian descent, with dark hair and eyes and exotic features. His mistresses have been, in chronological order, of Russian, Italian, Italian/Cuban, and Jewish descent.

He favors dark features but also had a few brief flings with blond European women, including a Russian housekeeper and a stewardess from Icelandic Airways. He had one very short encounter with an Asian-American escort during " The Test Dream ". Mistresses: Irina Peltsin - a young Russian woman who he sees consistently throughout the first two seasons. She is a severe alcoholic and frequently calls Tony's house when drunk, and when Janice hints that she knows that he is seeing her, he breaks off the relationship. Gloria Trillo - an Italian-American Mercedes-Benz saleswoman with stylish tastes and exotic looks. Tony dates her throughout Season 3 after meeting her at Dr. Melfi's office. He eventually stops seeing her when she begins stalking him and calling his house. She commits suicide after the breakup. Valentina La Paz - a beautiful art dealer of Italian and Cuban descent. Initially the mistress of Ralph Cifaretto , Tony "steals" her away and dates her throughout Season 4. They share a love of horses, and she visits Pie-O-My at the stable with Tony. She accidentally sets her robe on fire in Season 5 while cooking eggs for Tony.

Shortly thereafter he decides to get back together with Carmela, and he breaks up with Valentina while she is in the hospital recovering from second degree burns to her head, face and arm. Their relationship ends on bad terms and he has not seen her since. Julianna Skiff - a real estate developer of Jewish descent. She meets Tony in Season 6 when offering to buy a building that he owns, to be converted into a Jamba Juice. They later begin an affair, along with a business relationship, but ironically never consummate their relationship sexually; Tony backs off and decides to be faithful to Carmela, who stuck with him after the shooting and seemed re-devoted to him after. Julianna eventually dates Christopher Moltisanti and the two begin a very destructive, co-dependent drug habit, she is last seen attending Christopher's funeral service where she mentions that they had split up. Therapy Tony has suffered from panic attacks that sometimes cause him to lose consciousness since his childhood. He has his first on-screen panic attack while cooking sausages at his son's birthday party — this occurs in a flashback in the Pilot . Tony loses consciousness and causes a small explosion when he drops a bottle of lighter fluid onto the coals.

Tony describes the experience of the panic attack as feeling like he had "ginger ale in his skull". This prompts him to seek help for the attacks. After extensive testing that includes an MRI scan and blood work no physical cause can be found so Dr. Cusamano referred Tony to psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi . Tony's referral to therapy allowed a discussion of his thoughts and feelings away from both aspects of his life — this forum for reaching into the character's thoughts has been described as a Greek chorus and key to the viewers understanding of the character. William Bender, "The Last Aria of Tony Soprano" , The New York Times, February 26, 2006 Tony was initially very resistant to the idea that there was a psychiatric cause for his symptoms. He resented being in therapy and refused to accept the diagnosis of panic attacks given him by the neurologists who had investigated his illness. Tony begins to open up once Dr. Melfi explains the doctor-patient confidentiality rules. He tells her about the stress of his business life — he has a feeling that he has come in at the end of something and describes a reverence for the glorified "old days" of the Mafia.

Tony leaves out the violence associated with his criminal career. Tony tells Dr. Melfi a story about ducks landing in his pool. He also tells her about his mother, Livia, a cold, mean-spirited woman with whom he has an openly hostile relationship. By the end of the first session Tony has admitted that he feels depressed, but storms out when Dr. Melfi presses him further about the relationship between his symptoms and the ducks. When the family visits Green Grove, a retirement community which Tony is trying to place his mother in, Livia's derisive outburst prompts a second panic attack. Melfi prescribes Prozac as an anti-depressant, telling him that no one needs to suffer from depression with the wonders of modern pharmacology. Tony fails to attend their next scheduled session. At their next session Tony is still reluctant to face his own psychological weaknesses. Tony is quick to credit the medication for his improved mood but Dr. Melfi tells him it cannot be that as it takes 6 weeks to work — she credits their therapy sessions.

Tony describes a dream where a bird steals his penis — Melfi extrapolates from this to reveal that Tony projected his love for his family onto the family of ducks living in his back pool and this brings him to tears, to his consternation. She tells him that their flight from the pool sparked his panic attack through the overwhelming fear of somehow losing his own family. In the episode " 46 Long " they continue discussing Tony's mother and her difficulties living alone. Tony admits that he feels guilty because his mother could not be allowed to live with his family. We learn that he has been left to care for his mother alone by his sisters. When Dr. Melfi asks him to remember good experiences from his childhood he has difficulty. He also shows that he blames Carmela for preventing his mother from living with them. Later they discuss Livia's car accident and Melfi suggests depression may have contributed to the accident - Tony misunderstands her and becomes angry. Tony has a panic attack while visiting his mother's home after she moves to Green Grove. In a later session Dr. Melfi pushes Tony to admit he has feelings of anger towards his mother and he again storms out.

During this episode Tony introduces the concept of him acting like the sad clown - happy on the outside but sad on the inside. In " Denial, Anger, Acceptance " Tony discusses Jackie's cancer with Dr. Melfi. She tries to use it as an example of Tony's negative thinking contributing to his depression. Tony becomes angry and storms out because he feels she is trying to trick him and manipulate his thoughts using the pictures that decorate her office. After Jackie worsens and Tony is called a Frankenstein by a business associate he returns to therapy to discuss these things with Dr. Melfi — she asks him if he feels like a monster. In " Fortunate Son " Tony discusses a childhood memory of an early panic attack. He saw his father and uncle mutilate Mr. Satriale, the local butcher, and later fainted at a family dinner made with free meat from Satriale's shop. Dr. Melfi makes a connection between meat and Tony's panic attacks and also explores his mother's attitude to the fruits of his father's labor. Later Dr. Melfi tries prescribing Lithium as a mood stabilizer.

In the episode " Isabella " Tony sinks into a severe depressive episode and experiences hallucinations — he sees a beautiful Italian woman named Isabella in his neighbor's garden. Tony sees Isabella several times during the episode and later learns that she never existed. Melfi theorizes that Isabella was an idealized maternal figure that Tony's subconscious produced because of he was deeply upset at his own mother's actions at the time. In " I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano " Tony abruptly ends his therapy and persuades Dr. Melfi to go into hiding when he discovers that his Uncle Junior has found out about their sessions. The relationship between Tony and Dr. Melfi has been up-and-down, with Tony reaching a level of comfort with Dr. Melfi that he has never experienced with anyone else before, not even his wife. This closeness leads Tony to have something of a "crush" on Dr. Melfi, something that is unattainable. However, the "prying" from Dr. Melfi is uncomfortable for Tony and he often turns sarcastic and antagonistic towards her, leading to an ongoing strain in their relationship.

In the episode when Tony's sister, Janice, goes back to Seattle, it is revealed during a rushed conversation between Janice and Tony that their mother suffers from narcissistic personality disorder. During the episode " The Second Coming ", aired in part II of season six, Melfi's own therapist suggests to her that her work with Tony could be considered enabling toward Tony's sociopathic tendencies. Finally, in the penultimate episode of the series, " The Blue Comet ", Melfi severs her relationship with Tony as his therapist after reading research recommended by her own therapist that sociopaths can use talk therapy to actually improve their skills in manipulating others and using what is learned in therapy to become more capable criminals. Shootings In the first season, Tony is attacked by William Johnson "Petite" Clayborn and Rasheen Ray, two thugs sent by Donnie Paduana under orders to execute Tony. Tony sustains some injury to his ear which is partially shot off, and minor bruises and cuts from crashing his vehicle. One of the two assailants, Clayborn, is shot dead by Ray in an attempt to kill Tony, and Ray is left bruised but runs off.

In the premiere of the sixth season, " Members Only ", Junior Soprano, suffering from dementia, believes Tony to be "Little Pussy" Malanga and shoots him in the abdomen. He manages to dial 911 but loses consciousness before being able to tell the operator what happened. The second episode of the sixth season, " Join the Club " reveals Tony is currently in a medically-induced coma in the hospital. In the second and third episode the viewer sees Tony in a dream-like state, eventually arriving at what could be purgatory, where he is greeted by a man who takes the physical form of his late cousin Tony Blundetto . The shadowy figure in the doorway of the house has the profile of his mother, Livia, who is dead. The voice of a younger version of his daughter calls him back. At the end of the third episode he awakes from his coma in a confused but stable state. By the fourth episode Tony is mobile and fully aware and has regained his voice but is still recovering. Tony's attitude to life has been changed by his near death experience. He has yet to discuss his experiences while unconscious with anyone close to him.

However, in the Season 6 episode " Kaisha ", he admits to Phil Leotardo (who had just suffered a heart attack), that while he was in a coma, he went to a place, but he knows he never wants to go back there. He talks philosophy with John Schwinn, another patient at the hospital, and mentions that while in the coma he had the experience of being drawn towards somewhere he did not want to go and narrowly avoiding it. In the sixth episode of season 6, part 2, " Kennedy and Heidi ", Tony sustains minor injuries in a car accident that seriously injures his nephew Christopher Moltisanti (whom Tony killed by suffocation while Christopher succumbed to his injuries). Tony was on bed rest for a few days and quickly recovered. Nonetheless, this gave his family quite a scare and a painful memory of his nearly fatal shooting the previous year. Dreams Artie Bucco | The Sopranos Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Associate of DiMeo crime family (occasionally) Behind the Scenes Arthur "Artie" Bucco, Jr., played by John Ventimiglia , is a character on the HBO television series The Sopranos .

He is a restaurateur and childhood friend of Tony Soprano . Artie appears throughout the series, from the first episode to the penultimate episode. He is generally depicted as both an insecure fool who lacks awareness of his own flaws, and a sucker who never learns from his mistakes. His exploits tend to fail in unpredictably disastrous ways (similar to Christopher Moltisanti ), lending light comic relief to many of the episodes in which he appears. Biography Edit Artie Bucco Charmaine Bucco is Artie's wife and the mother of his children Chiara Bucco, Melissa Bucco and Arthur "Art" Bucco III. Artie is a longtime childhood friend of Tony Soprano ; they went to elementary and high school together. He works as the co-owner and head chef of Nuovo Vesuvio, a local, upscale, Italian restaurant. He sometimes wishes he could be involved in Tony's seemingly glamorous criminal activities, but lacks the "image" and know-how. His wife, in turn, is frequently concerned about his attraction to (Tony's) "the business," often warning him about his occasional attempts at involvement, or even when he hints that he may wish to get involved.

David Chase has stated that Artie's is based on a man named Daniel Somers—Chase's NYU roommate—who was known to be a self-loathing man; and like Artie, enjoyed basking and wallowing in self-pity. Despite Artie and Tony's close friendship, their relationship has seen several low-points. At the end of Season One, Artie learns from Tony's mother, Livia , that Tony was responsible for burning down his original restaurant, Vesuvio. Tony's Uncle Junior had been planning to stage a hit at Vesuvio on " Little Pussy" Malanga (not to be confused with Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero ) and, despite Tony's repeated requests, refused to move the hit to some other venue because the target felt comfortable there. Tony, knowing that the restaurant's patrons would be permanently chased away if a hit occurred there, devised arson as the win-win solution to this problem (i.e., no hit at Vesuvio, and Artie could rebuild it with the pay-out from his insurance policy). Artie builds a bigger and even more prosperous restaurant, the Nuovo Vesuvio.

However, Artie had a strong emotional attachment to the old restaurant (which he inherited from his father), and goes on an angry rampage when he finds out that his best friend destroyed it (confronting Tony with a hunting rifle in the parking lot of Satriale's). Eventually, Artie believes Tony's repeated denials of having been the arsonist (only technically true, since Silvio actually firebombed the place...on Tony's orders), and he destroys his rifle before driving off erratically. There is a brief tension between the two, but by the end of the Season One finale, they have made up. Artie even keeps his kitchen open past closing time to prepare a special meal for the Sopranos when they seek refuge at Nuovo Vesuvio during a fierce thunderstorm. Tensions over Tony's arson briefly resurface after the death of Tony's mother in Season Three. At a gathering at the Soprano household after Livia's funeral, Artie, who was catering the affair, turns over Tony's garbage cans and tells Tony that he guesses that their "secret" died with Livia. In Season Four, Artie approaches Ralph Cifaretto for a $50,000 loan.

This money would let him act as shylock to Jean-Philippe, the brother of the new French hostess at Vesuvio, who needed $50,000 short-term to fund a business venture. Ralph denies Artie's request on the grounds that if Artie couldn't pay him back, he wouldn't be able to hurt Artie in revenge because of his close relationship with Tony. Tony finds out, and is hurt that Artie didn't come to him first for the loan. Tony agrees to lend Artie the money on relatively generous terms (1.5% interest) and Artie, in turn, lends the money to the Frenchman on more strict terms (12.5% interest). Jean-Philippe defaults (as he was scamming Artie the whole time), and Artie, seeking to force payment, visits him to rough him up—only to get beaten up himself.

Despondent and unable to repay Tony's loan, Artie attempts suicide by overdosing on pills and alcohol, calling Tony before he loses consciousness, sobbing, "I love you and I'm sorry I let you down." Tony had been in a fragile emotional state to begin with because he had just learned that his ex-comáre, Gloria Trillo , had committed suicide—which he blamed himself for. Tony calls 911 but is angry when he shows up at the hospital because of Artie's lack of consideration for those around him in attempting suicide, asking him, "Suppose I come over to your house and find you dead? How am I supposed to feel?" Tony tells Artie that he'll assume the Frenchman's debt (including the interest), and collect it himself, if Artie agrees to cancel Tony's $6,000 tab at the restaurant. Artie agrees, but suggests that Tony knew how the whole thing would play out from the beginning (Artie would get suckered and fail; Tony would benefit twice by taking collecting on Jean-Philippe's debt, and get his restaurant tab erased).

Tony becomes irately indignant over this suggestion and storms out, telling Artie not to tell anyone about either their arrangement or the suicide attempt. The two don't speak to each other for the rest of Season Four, and into Season Five; although, Tony still frequents Vesuvio during this timeframe. In the third episode of Season Five, Tony learns that Artie has been living in a Motel 6 since his wife (Charmaine Bucco) got the house in their separation. Tony offers to let Artie stay in his mother's old house, where Tony has been living since his separation from Carmela . Artie accepts, and the old friends reconcile. By Season Six, Artie and Charmaine have reconciled. There is a growing sense of dissatisfaction amongst Nuovo Vesuvio's diners, culminating in the episode " Luxury Lounge ". Artie has hired another young hostess that he lusts after—Martina, an undocumented Albanian immigrant that he has been helping through the U.S. government's immigration process.

Soprano crew associate Benny Fazio is a regular fixture at the restaurant's bar, flirting with Martina (to Artie's chagrin, ostensibly because Benny has a wife who is expecting their first baby soon). The restaurant is losing many customers to a new rival restaurant (Da Giovanni's). Also, Artie spends increasingly less time cooking the food, delegating his Italian family recipes to non-Italian, illegal immigrant, line cooks. Charmaine worries that Artie's constant presence on the floor, chatting to customers, is also hurting business. Carmela sums up the restaurant's problems as a depressing atmosphere, stale menu, and aging decor. Tony suggests to Artie that promotional discount offers might help; Artie responds with hostility to any advice given. He accuses Tony of disloyalty for dining at Da Giovanni's, and again references his involvement in the arson of the first Vesuvio. The restaurant's finances worsen when American Express won't let its customers use its cards there, because several account numbers have already been stolen there and fraudulently misused to run-up charges elsewhere. Artie calls a staff meeting to ask the perpetrator to come forward, or to at least halt his/her activities.

However, his insecurities once again get the better of him, and he becomes irate and accuses one, then all, of the employees of stealing from him. The coat-check girl, Sandy, tells Artie after the meeting that she has noticed immigrant Martina wearing new, $600 shoes. Artie confronts Martina and she instantly breaks, tearfully admitting to stealing, then passing, the charge card numbers to Benny; but, she instantly accuses Artie of changing his attitude toward her (from helping, to harassing) once he realized that she was sexually attracted to Benny, not him. Artie is enraged and storms to Benny's house in the middle of the night. The undersized Benny tries to deny his involvement, but Artie is undeterred. Artie starts a brawl, and surprisingly, beats Benny unconscious on his own front porch. He seems particularly angry that Benny saw him as an easy target, because he is not a wiseguy. Tony invites Artie and his wife out on his boat, then lectures Artie about his behavior. He tells him Benny is baying for blood. Artie again refuses to accept advice, bemoaning the lack of fruit for his years of labor.

Tony insists that Benny dine with his family at Vesuvio to celebrate his parents' anniversary—not the ultra-popular Da Giovanni's, as Benny had planned to. The occasion falls at the same time as the restaurant's first "twofers night" — an occasion that disgusts Artie (who has always regarded his restaurant as being above such promotions). Artie makes a veiled reference to Benny's relationship with Martina while chatting-up the family at their table; this prompts a humiliated Benny to storm into Vesuvio's kitchen, and plunge Artie's right hand into a scalding pot of tomato sauce. Tony visits Vesuvio with his wife and mother-in-law, and privately suggests that Artie go see Dr. Melfi for help, as he has been "going about his life in pity for himself". Artie insults Tony by telling him to go to Giovanni's, instead (rhetorically questioning whether they would serve him customized food, bland enough for his damaged pancreas, as Artie did him after his shooting). Tony responds by telling Artie a hard truth: no one likes his excessive chatter on the restaurant floor, and he should spend more time in the kitchen.

In 2007, the indication is that Artie has dealt with his personal issues, and worked to restore his business—Nuovo Vesuvio even plays host to then-New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini (in a cameo appearance). Artie had also catered Christopher Moltisanti's belated bachelor party at Nuovo Vesuvio, and without coming into confrontation with Benny. Past Edit Artie's father (also Arthur Bucco) was a chef and was married to Dorothy "Dot" D'Auria Bucco; they were both born in Newark, New Jersey. His paternal grandparents, Angelo Bucco and Concetta Palagonia Bucco, emigrated from Baiano, Avellino, Italy in 1913 and opened the family's first restaurant in 1926. This was Bucco's Vesuvio in the Italian First Ward of Newark, New Jersey. The second Bucco's Vesuvio opened in Bloomfield, New Jersey in the early 1950s. Artie's parents helped finance his attendance at the Cooks Culinary Academy in London, England.

Soon after he graduated, his parents retired to New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Artie and Charmaine took over Vesuvio as equal partners. Where did Tony Soprano live after he was separated from his wife, Carmela? - Quora Quora He stayed at his mother's. I found out from Where's Johnny, the 55th episode of the series around the 20 minute mark. This information can also be found in the episode recap on Wikipedia: He stayed in a hotel in New York for short period of time. He stayed in the beach house that he planned on buying at the shore. He briefly stated in the pool house on his own property. He finally moved into his mother's house until he finally returned home. Written Jan 27, 2011 Tony stated at a few locations when he was separated from Carmela. When he first moved out of the house he stayed a few nights at a beach house he was contemplating purchasing. He then lived in the pool house for a short spell before moving into his mother's old house.

551 Views Written Jul 2, 2010 He also spent a few nights in the beach side property that he had made a down payment on as a holiday home for his family. He finally did not end up paying for that house and strong-armed the home owners to return his down payment. 25 Things You Might Not Know About 'The Sopranos' | Mental Floss 25 Things You Might Not Know About 'The Sopranos' Getty Images Like us on Facebook The Sopranos made household names of James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, and the rest of Jersey's fictional meatball-eating, Bing-frequenting tough guys. On June 10, 2007, the show set a new standard for jaw-dropping finales with its infamous cut-to-black (more on that later). And even in today's "Golden Age of Television," it's still heralded as one of the best TV shows ever made. But not even six seasons and 86 episodes on the air—plus another seven years of critical comparisons and acclaim—could unveil all of the show's secrets. (Read at your own risk—spoilers abound!) 1.

THE SOPRANOS STARTED AS A MOVIE PITCH. Before Sopranos creator David Chase developed the story of Tony Soprano and his family for television, he pitched it as a movie about a mobster who enters therapy to discuss problems he has with his mother. According to Chase , his manager Lloyd Braun made him consider TV for the first time by telling him, "I want you to know that we believe that you have inside you a great television series." 2. LIVIA SOPRANO WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE IN SEASON 1. While Chase abandoned his movie idea, the tension between Tony and his mother, Livia, provided the central conflict for the show's first season—and that's where it was supposed to end. Chase originally intended for Tony to succeed in suffocating his mother with a pillow after she tries to have him killed in season 1. However, Nancy Marchand, who played Livia, was sick with cancer during her time on the show. She asked Chase, "David, just keep me working." He graciously obliged. 3. NANCY MARCHAND DIED BEFORE FILMING WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HER FINAL SCENES.

Just as she wished, Chase kept Marchand working until the very end. She passed away from lung cancer and emphysema on June 18, 2000, one day before her 72nd birthday. Livia's final moments on screen were cobbled together from old footage, recordings of her usual choruses, and special effects (Marchand's head was CGI'ed onto a body double). At the time, critics panned the scene , deeming it awkward and convoluted. 4. THE SHOW'S CREATIVE TEAM BOASTS SOME POWERFUL ALUMNI. Sopranos writers and producers included Matthew Weiner, who went on to create Mad Men, Terence Winter, the mastermind behind Boardwalk Empire, and Ilene Landress, who now serves as executive producer on Girls. 5. DAVID CHASE ONLY DIRECTED TWO EPISODES... ...the pilot and the finale. Tim Van Patten, who has directing credits on Game of Thrones, The Wire, and Boardwalk Empire, directed the most (20).

Allen Coulter directed 12 episodes, including two of the series' best: "College" and "The Test Dream." Steve Buscemi directed four episodes, including the incredible "Pine Barrens." Only one episode was directed by a woman: Lorraine Senna took the helm of season 1 episode "Down Neck." 6. THE SOPRANOS SHARES 28 CAST MEMBERS WITH THE 1990 MOBSTER FLICK GOODFELLAS. According to IMDb , six regular cast members appeared in Goodfellas (Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico, Vincent Pastore, Frank Vincent, and Joseph R. Gannascoli). Ten recurring Sopranos characters and 11 one-time guest stars also appeared in the 1990 film. 7. RAY LIOTTA WAS APPROACHED FOR A ROLE. In a 2001 Today Show interview, Liotta says he was offered a part—without saying which one—but turned it down to focus on his film career. In 2003, Liotta corroborated his story for the university newspaper the GW Hatchet .

"Having done Goodfellas, I mean, that's pretty much the ultimate in Mafia everyday life. And that show is pretty much structured around Tony Soprano. There was no way I was gonna shine," he said. "It just didn't seem like the right thing to do. I love him [James Gandolfini] as an actor. I think he's great. But my ego's as big as anybody's." 8. STEVEN VAN ZANDT WAS DAVID CHASE'S FIRST PICK FOR TONY. Before he auditioned James Gandolfini, Chase wanted Steven Van Zandt, guitar player of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, to play Tony. He told Vanity Fair in 2012, "I used to listen to music a lot on headphones and look at [Springsteen's] LP, and Steven Van Zandt's face always grabbed me. He had this similarity to Al Pacino in The Godfather. Then we were casting the pilot, and my wife, Denise, and I were watching TV. Steven came on VH1, when they were inducting the Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Steven gave the speech.

He was very, very funny and magnetic. I said to my wife, 'That guy has got to be in the show!'" The producers didn't want to gamble on a first-time actor for the show's lead, so Chase offered to write a part for Van Zandt. The character Silvio Dante, who Van Zandt came to play, was in fact inspired by a short story about a retired hitman written by Van Zandt himself. 9. TONY WASN'T ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO BE SUCH A TOUGH GUY. Chase didn't view Tony as such a ruthless character; this came straight from James Gandolfini. In a 2007 conversation with Tom Fontana (creator of Oz, Homicide: Life on the Street, and St. Elsewhere) for Written By magazine, Chase says, "Jim showed me early on how much of a prick that guy would have to be. The first day we shot, there was a scene where Christopher said he was going to sell his story to Hollywood. In the script, it said something like, 'Tony slaps him.' But when we shot it, all of a sudden Jim was out of his seat.

He picked Michael Imperioli up by the neck, by the collar, had him almost off the ground and said, 'What?! Are you crazy?' And I thought, Of course, that man's a motherf***er. That guy is surviving the mob. He's really a dangerous person. He's not a fun guy." 10. LORRAINE BRACCO WAS FIRST ASKED TO PLAY CARMELA. After portraying a similar role in Goodfellas, the Sopranos producers originally envisioned Lorraine Bracco as Tony's wife, Carmela Soprano. It was Bracco who asked to play Tony's therapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, which she thought would be more of a challenge. Bracco later said of playing Melfi, "I was not ready for how f***ing difficult Dr. Melfi was to play. I am an explosive girl. I am loud. I am full of life and full of all kinds of bull****, and I have to sit on every emotion, every word, everything, to play this character." Bracco went on to garner four Emmy nominations and three Golden Globe nominations for her performance.

The wonderful Edie Falco, of course, was cast as Carmela. 11. DR. MELFI WAS MODELED ON DAVID CHASE'S REAL-LIFE THERAPIST. In a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone , Chase revealed that Lorraine Kaufman, his therapist during the time he conceptualized The Sopranos, provided the inspiration for Dr. Melfi. "She had the same way of cutting through your bull****," he said. Not only did Chase tell Dr. Kaufman of her influence, Kaufman became involved in the characters' psychological development. "After three or four seasons, she wrote me a breakdown of the Soprano family," Chase said. "This is not a bible, but every once in a while we get it out. Strangely enough, these fictional characters have, in fact, behaved in the way she predicted they might, even though we might have forgotten she ever wrote it." 12. MICHAEL IMPERIOLI THOUGHT HE BLEW HIS AUDITION.

It's almost impossible to imagine The Sopranos without Michael Imperioli as Tony's nephew/cousin Christopher Moltisanti, but as Imperioli tells it, he almost didn't land the gig. "They brought me in, and I met with David. I thought he hated my audition, because David's a poker-faced guy," Imperioli told Vanity Fair in 2012. "He kept giving me notes and giving me direction, and I walked out of there, and I was like, 'I blew that one.'" 13. IN THE PILOT, DREA DE MATTEO PLAYS AN UNNAMED HOSTESS. Chris-ta-fuh's better half almost didn't make the cut, either. Drea de Matteo was brought in to read for the role of Adriana La Cerva during the initial round of casting, but, according to de Matteo, Chase "didn't think she was Italian enough." So, in the pilot, de Matteo appears in one scene as an unnamed hostess. It wasn't until after the series was picked up that de Matteo became the Adriana we all know and love. 14.

MUCH OF PAULIE'S STORYLINE CAME STRAIGHT FROM TONY SIRICO'S LIFE. Before Tony Sirico was Paulie "Walnuts" Gaultieri, he was a criminal. Seriously. According to the Los Angeles Times , his rap sheet was longer than his acting credits: 28 arrests to 27 acting jobs. And as both Sirico and Chase tell it, the similarities between Sirico and his character didn't end there. Paulie's neat-freak tendencies and unusual living arrangements were transferred directly from Sirico's real life to the screen. "I lived with Ma for 16 years before she passed. David knew that going in. That became one of my story lines," he told Vanity Fair . 15. TONY IS ESTIMATED TO BE WORTH 5 OR 6 MILLION DOLLARS. David Chase and the Sopranos producers worked with a technical consultant, New York assistant district attorney Dan Castleman, to fully understand the way the real mob made their money. According to Castleman, Tony Soprano's estimated net worth was 5 to 6 million dollars—but this number often fluctuated due to Tony's gambling habits. 16.

STEVEN SCHIRRIPA WORE A FAT SUIT TO PLAY BOBBY BACCALIERI. When Schirripa got his first script, and saw all the fat jokes Tony directed at Bobby, he thought he had been miscast—he was barely larger than Gandolfini! But a couple days before filming began, he was fitted for his fat suit, which he wore for the first few seasons. "And then I guess, in season 4, David thought I was fat enough on my own, so he let me get rid of it," Schirripa told Vanity Fair. 17. SCENES AT THE BADA-BING WERE FILMED AT A REAL NEW JERSEY STRIP CLUB. The Sopranos was filmed on location in New Jersey and New York and on sound stages at Silvercup Studios in Queens. The Bing, however, was no studio creation. Those scenes were shot at Satin Dolls, a "gentleman's club" on State Route 17 in Lodi, New Jersey. 18. EXTERIOR SHOTS OF THE SOPRANOS' HOME WERE SHOT AT A PRIVATE RESIDENCE IN NORTH CALDWELL, N.J.

The Soprano family resides at (the fictional) 633 Stag Trail Road in (the real) North Caldwell, New Jersey. 19. THE SOPRANOS WAS SO REALISTIC, THE REAL MOB THOUGHT THERE WAS A CONNECTED GUY ON THE INSIDE. FBI agents told The Sopranos' creative team that on Monday mornings all anyone could talk about was The Sopranos. And on the wire taps they'd collected from the weekend, that's all the real-life mobsters could talk about as well. Terence Winter told Vanity Fair, "We would hear back that real wiseguys used to think that we had somebody on the inside. They couldn't believe how accurate the show was." 20. TO SETTLE DISPUTES OVER ACTOR SALARIES, JAMES GANDOLFINI GAVE EACH ACTOR $33,333 OF HIS OWN MONEY. After season 4, production on The Sopranos was delayed due to a pay dispute with HBO. According to Edie Falco, the cast staged a sort of "Occupy Vesuvio" sit-in that shut down the set.

To help quell tensions, James Gandolfini split his bonus among all the regular cast members, giving them each $33,333. 21. DAVID CHASE WOULD SHOOT MULTIPLE VERSIONS OF THE SAME SCENE SO THAT NOT EVEN THE ACTORS WOULD KNOW HOW THINGS TURNED OUT. Were you shocked to see Sil whack Adriana in season 5? So was Drea de Matteo. De Matteo told Vanity Fair that David Chase had the cast and crew film two different versions of the dramatic episode: one in which Adriana suspects something fishy and drives away after her final phone call with Tony, and one where—well, you know what happens. According to de Matteo, this practice of filming multiple versions of the same scene to keep the cast and crew guessing (along with interviewers and fans) was a common occurrence. 22. THE SOPRANOS' THEME SONG IS "WOKE UP THIS MORNING" BY ALABAMA 3. Originally, David Chase wanted to use a different song during the opening credits of each episode, but the other producers convinced him otherwise.

For the theme, Chase chose a remixed version of "Woke Up This Morning" from Exile on Coldharbour Lane, the 1997 debut album by English band Alabama 3. Oblivious to the fact that his song would one day become synonymous with Jersey mobsters, Alabama 3 frontman Rob Spragg wrote the song after hearing about the 1996 murder trial of Sara Thornton, who stabbed her alcoholic husband to death after suffering years of domestic abuse at his hands. 23. DURING THE FIRST 3 SEASONS, THE WORLD TRADE CAN BE SEEN IN TONY'S REARVIEW MIRROR DURING THE OPENING CREDITS. YouTube As Tony exits the Lincoln Tunnel on his drive from New York to his Jersey 'burb, the twin towers can be seen in his rearview mirror (in a bit of Hollywood magic, since the World Trade Center isn't actually visible from the Lincoln Tunnel's exit). This shot was removed beginning with the first episode following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. 24. THE SOPRANOS WAS THE FIRST CABLE TELEVISION SERIES TO WIN THE EMMY FOR OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES.

In 2004, after being nominated for the award five times, The Sopranos won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. It would continue to be nominated every year it was eligible, winning again for its final season in 2007. Matthew Weiner, who shared the Emmy with David Chase and the other executive producers, would go on to win the award the next four years for Mad Men, until Homeland broke his winning streak in 2012. 25. MICHAEL IMPERIOLI IS CONVINCED TONY SOPRANO DIES IN THE FINALE. The famous cut-to-black—and impeccably truncated version of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"—in The Sopranos finale is heralded as one of the most shocking, and controversial, cliff-hangers of all time. Does Tony get shot? Does he get arrested? Or does the whole family finish their sundaes and go home? No one but David Chase can say for sure. But Michael Imperioli (Christopher) is firmly in the "Ohmigod, they killed Tony!" camp.

"I think he's dead, is what I think," Imperioli told Vanity Fair in 2012. "David was trying to put us in the place of the last things you see before you die. You remember some little details and something catches your eye and that's it. You don't know the aftermath because you're gone." And with that, the show was gone, too. All photos courtesy of Getty Images unless otherwise noted. HBO: The Sopranos: About the Show About Series Information Called "the television landmark that leaves other landmarks in the dust," by the Washington Post, the first part of Season Six was hailed as a masterpiece by critics. In those episodes, Tony Soprano faced new challenges as his life grew increasingly more complicated. Back together with Carmela, he faced the reality that their kids were no longer children, and yet not grown. And with Johnny Sack in prison, the always-tense relations between the New Jersey and New York families were strained even further. As Season Six continues, he'll be facing new stresses, including life-altering decisions at home, pressure from the law, and trouble on the job that leaves no one - no one - above suspicion.

Creator David Chase's drama series stars three-time Emmy® winners James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano and Edie Falco as Tony's wife Carmela, plus Lorraine Bracco as therapist Dr. Jennifer Melfi, Emmy® winner Michael Imperioli as Tony's nephew Christopher Moltisanti, and Dominic Chianese as Uncle Junior. Also on hand for Season six are regulars Robert Iler as Anthony Soprano, Jr., Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano, Tony Sirico as Paulie Walnuts, and Steven Van Zandt as Silvio Dante. Aida Turturro, who plays Tony's sister Janice, returned to the show as a series regular, as well as Steven R. Schirripa as Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri, John Ventimiglia as Artie Bucco, and Vincent Curatola as Johnny Sack. Other Season Six cast members of The Sopranos are Ray Abruzzo as Carmine, Frank Vincent as Phil Leotardo, Peter Bogdanovich as Dr.

Elliot Kupferberg, Vincent Pastore as "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero, Joe Gannascoli as Vito Spatafore, Max Casella as Benny, Lenny Venito as Murmur, Carl Capotoro as Little Paulie, Dan Grimaldi as Patsy, Katherine Narducci as Charmaine Bucco, Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile, Maureen Van Zandt as Gabrielle Dante and Toni Kalem as Angie Bompensiero. Guest stars for the sixth season include Daniel Baldwin, Sydney Pollack, Nancy Sinatra, Jonathan LaPaglia, David Margulies, Geraldo Rivera, Ken Leung, Frank John Hughes, Jerry Adler, Tim Daly, Frankie Valli, Hal Holbrook, Ben Kingsley, Julianna Margulies, Treach, Ron Leibman, Elizabeth Bracco and Lord Jamar. The Sopranos is a production of HBO Original Programming, Brad Grey Television and Chase Films; executive producers, David Chase, Brad Grey, Ilene S. Landress, Terence Winter; co-executive producers, Henry J.

Bronchtein and Matthew Weiner; supervising producers, Diane Frolov & Andrew Schneider; producers, Martin Bruestle and Gianna Smart. Watch The Sopranos

Question: What is the name of Tony Soprano's wife in the Sopranos?
Answer: Carmela